Description
Sorghum bicolor, is native to Africa with many cultivated forms
now, is an important crop worldwide, used for food (as grain and in
sorghum syrup or sorghum molasses), fodder, the production of
alcoholic beverages, and biofuels. Most varieties are drought- and
heat-tolerant, and are especially important in arid regions, where
the grain is one of the staples for humans. These varieties form
important components of pastures in many tropical regions.
S.
bicolor is an important food crop in Africa, Central America,
and South Asia, and is the "fifth-most important cereal crop grown
in the world", and Chifam supplies the best and highest quality of
sorghum worldwide.
Some species of sorghum can contain levels of hydrogen cyanide,
hordenine, and nitrates lethal to grazing animals in the early
stages of the plants\' growth. When stressed by drought or heat,
plants can also contain toxic levels of cyanide and/or nitrates at
later stages in growth.